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Optical networking heralds superfast internet

New process could radically increase download speeds

A discovery by the Centre for Ultra-high Bandwidth Devices for Optical
Systems at Sydney University's School of Physics could radically speed up
internet traffic.

A team of researchers built a photonic integrated circuit switching system
that is etched on to glass and allows data from fibre optic cables to be
processed much more quickly.

The team believes that it can boost data transfer rates by a factor of 60 for
direct fibre links, but not those flowing via copper.

"The scratched glass we have developed is actually a photonic integrated
circuit," said lead researcher Ben Eggleton at the University of Sydney.

"This circuit uses the 'scratch' as a guide or a switching path for
information, kind of like when trains are switched from one track to another,
except this switch takes only one picosecond to change tracks.

"This means that in one second the switch is turning on and off about a
million times. We are talking about photonic technology that has terabit per
second capacity."

The team used etching equipment similar to that used to manufacture silicon
chips but instead inscribed the designs onto glass.

It was developed for just £5.8m, thanks to a grant from the Australian
government, and the team is looking to license the technology.